Above is the poster for "Coo Coo Class," a program that features five children born to a Vietnamese mother and a Korean father visiting Vietnam. / Courtesy of CJ E&M

By Kim Ji-soo

Korean television's portrayal of multicultural families used to be primarily about helping the migrant bride or the husband travel to their homeland with the families.

But lately, as the number of the multiracial families has grown to around 750,000 in the country, the small screen is starting to reflect the embedded nature of these families in Korean society.

Cable channel tvN started last month airing "Coo Coo Class" featuring five-mixed Vietnamese-Korean children traveling to the home country of their respective mothers. The six-part series was able to film in Vietnam because of the support of Vietnamese state broadcaster VTC. Included among the five are "Little Psy" Hwang Min-woo, who was born to a Korean father and a Vietnamese mother. The show mostly focuses on how the children, along with K-pop star Lee Ki-kwang of Beast and actor Kim Min-jun, learn first-hand the various aspect of Vietnamese culture in "special missions" designed by the mothers.

It helps that programs focused on children are wildly popular in Korea. Programs such as "Dad Where Are We Going?" and "Superman Returns," which feature celebrities and their children, are enjoying steady popularity. "Dad Where Are We Going?" which is aired on MBC, has announced new members for season two, including rapper Kim Jin-pyo, actor Ryu Jin and former soccer player Ahn Jung-whan. In "Superman Returns," daughter Choo Sa-rang of UFC fighter Choo Sung-hoon, also known as Yoshihiro Akiyama, has emerged as a new child star.

Foreigners have always filled a niche in Korean entertainment, but their presence is increasing as Korean society becomes more multicultural. Australian Sam Hammington is the reigning foreign star with his appearances in several entertainment programs.